Alloys of the precious metals and method of increasing hardness of such alloys.



unrrnn STAT ES ra rnn'r orrron.

AUGUSTE J. ROSSI, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, TO THE TITANIUMALLOY MANUFACTURING MAINE.

COMPANY, OF. NEW YORK, N. -Y.., A CORPORATION OF ALLOYS'OF THE PRECIOUSMETALS 'AND METHOD OF INCREASING HARDNESS OF SUCH ALLOYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

No Drawing. Original application filed May 6,1910, serial No. 559,656.Divided and this application filed January 25, 191

2. Serial No. 673,358.

T all whom it may concern:

- citizen of the United States, and a resident be added .tlie presentusual, conv of Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Alloys of thePrecious Metals and Methods'of Increasing Hardness of Such Alloys, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My present application is a division 0 my ending application SerialNumber 559,656, filed May 6, 1910.

My present invention relates to the hardening of such alloys includingparticularly such as'used incoinage, jewelry and the like, and has forits objectthe imparting to such alloys so employed and containingpresent conventional proportions of copper, such novel increasedhardness as will enable them to better resist frictional wear to whichthey may be subjected.

As well understood, the preciousmetals i. 6. gold and silver, areinherently so soft weight by the wear to which subjected when employedin coins,'jewelry, or the like. It has therefore from time immemorialbeen the practice to alloy for such uses one of the said precious metalswith various proportions of a harder metal,'as copper, the gold andsilver coinage of most countries being correspondingly debased byintentional additions of copper varying from 9 to 10% or thereabout, andthe said alloys intended for commercial uses. and commonly known assterling gold or sterling silver containing as high as 25% -of copper.Notwithstanding these admixtures of the baser metal, 'the resultingcoinage, money, bars, jewelry, etc., are 'still nevertheless subject toimportant undesired losses from friction and wear in use, and the objectof my presto provide means for pre-f the production; of;v

ent invention is said precious metals, while molten,

proportions of'a copper previousl fied by, or alloyed with,tit-anium-=as"respectively per Letters Patent No. 905,232, granted to meDecember 1, 1908, and Letters Patas to. lose important proportions oftheir,

. ent No. 935,863, granted to me October 5, 1909, or there be added tosuch'precious metal, when molten together with the desired percent. ofpreviously unpurified or unalloyed copper, a small amount of titanium,or of my said alloy of copper with titanium, the final resulting alloyof said precious metal with copper will be so hardened .as tosubstantially reslst, without loss f of'weight, substantially all wearincident to ordinary usage.

Mylinvent-ion may be practiced asfollows: The copper intended for use inhardening the p ecious metal whether gold or silver as af resaid isfirst melted and to the molten bath whereof is added and meltedtherewith some of my alloy or compound of copper and titanium for. whichreissued Letters Patent No. 12,764 were on March 17, 1908, granted tome, the amount of said alloy so added being preferably proportioned toinsure in the'bath the metallic titanium to combine with undesiredelements andv compounds present and leave a final copper productcontaining substantiallyno titanium, or, if desired, notto exceed 1% oftitanium as per my said Letters Patent No; 905,232. The resultingpurified copper pro uct is then added to a bath of the molten precious'metal 2'. 6. gold or silver as the case may be'and in such proportionas to secure in the final product or alloythe desired roportion ofcopper. The said resulting nal product being an alloy of gold or silverwith copper should contain not to exceed tracesof titanium and Willtherefore be of substantially the same purity .as' formerly required,for coinage and commercial presence of sufficient uses aforesaid, butits resistance to abrasion will be found much "greater than that of a'corresponding 'allo to which, or its constituents, the titanium has notbeen added. It will be obvious that substantially the same -results maybe attained-by adding to a bath of either molten gold, or molten silver,a certain amount of copper not previously also adding sufiicient ofmysaid alloy of copper and titanium, containing a sufficient treated withtitanium as aforesaid and then exceed traces of titanium.

pounds present in said bath and leave .in the product thereofsubstantially no tita- -added so as to insure its action thereon as wellas on undesired elements, compounds and impurities imported into thebath by the copper thereto added.

It will be understood that my invention, IS herein claimed, is limitedto methods of treatment of silver or its alloys, in which the titaniumemployed is so proportioned as to leave in the final resulting productnot to What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is thefollowing, vi. z

1. As a new .article a metallic substance composed principally ofsilver, a harder metal therewith alloyed and containing also not toexceed traces of titanium.

2. As a new article ofmetallic substance composed principally of silver,copper there- I believe, beneficially affected with alloyed andcontaining also not to ex: ceed traces of titanium.

3. The metallurgical method which comprises bringing together in moltenstate silver, a harder metal, and titanium proportioned ,to combine withundesired elements and compounds and secure a final product containingnot to exceed traces of titanium.

4. The metallurgical method which comprises bringing together in moltenstate silver, copper, and titanium proportioned to combinewith undesiredelements and compounds and secure a final product contain ing not toexceed traces of titanium.

5. The method of producing an alloy of silver with a harder metal whichcomprises bringing together in molten state silver and an alloy of saidharder metal with titanium,

said titanium being proportioned to combine with undesired elements andcompounds and secure a final product containing not to exceed traces oftitanium.

6. The method of producing an alloy of silver with copper whichcomprises bringing together in molten state silver and an alloy ofcopper with titanium, said titanimn being proportioned to combine withundesired eleinents and compounds and secure a final product containingnot to exceed traces of titanium.

AUGUsTE J. nossi. Witnesses \VALTER D. EnMo ns, PHILIP C. Peon.

